🔗 Share this article

I don't recall exactly how the tradition began, but I always name all my Pokémon trainers Glitch.

Be it a core franchise game or a spinoff such as Pokkén Tournament DX along with Pokémon Go — the moniker never changes. Glitch alternates from male to female characters, featuring dark and violet locks. Sometimes their style is flawless, as seen in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest addition in the enduring franchise (and among the more style-conscious releases). At other moments they're limited to the various school uniform designs of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. But they're always Malfunction.

The Constantly Changing World of Pokémon Titles

Much like my characters, the Pokémon games have transformed across releases, with certain cosmetic, some substantial. However at their heart, they stay identical; they're always Pokemon to the core. Game Freak discovered a nearly perfect mechanics system some 30 years ago, and just recently seriously tried to evolve upon it with entries such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus (new era, your character faces peril). Throughout all version, the fundamental gameplay loop of catching and battling with adorable monsters has stayed steady for almost as long as my lifetime.

Shaking Conventions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like Arceus before it, with its lack of arenas and emphasis on creating a creature catalog, Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces several changes into that formula. It's set entirely in a single location, the French capital-inspired Lumiose Metropolis of Pokémon X & Y, ditching the region-spanning adventures of earlier titles. Pokemon are intended to live together with people, trainers and non-trainers alike, in manners we have merely seen glimpses of previously.

Far more drastic is Z-A's real-time battle system. This is where the franchise's almost ideal gameplay loop undergoes its most significant evolution to date, replacing methodical turn-based bouts for more frenetic action. And it is thoroughly enjoyable, despite I find myself eager for a new turn-based entry. Though these alterations to the classic Pokémon formula sound like they form a completely new adventure, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is as familiar as any other Pokémon title.

The Core of the Adventure: The Z-A Royale

When first arriving at Lumiose Metropolis, any intentions your custom avatar had as a tourist are discarded; you're promptly recruited by Taunie (if playing as a male character; Urbain if female) to join their squad of battlers. You receive one of her Pokémon as your first partner and are sent into the Z-A Royale.

The Championship serves as the centerpiece in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It's comparable to the classic "arena symbols to final challenge" progression of past games. But here, you battle several opponents to earn the opportunity to participate in a promotion match. Succeed and you'll be promoted to the next rank, with the final objective of achieving the top rank.

Live-Action Combat: A New Frontier

Trainer battles take place at night, and navigating stealthily the designated battle zones is very enjoyable. I'm always attempting to surprise a rival and unleash an unopposed move, since everything happens instantaneously. Moves operate on cooldown timers, indicating you and your opponent can sometimes attack each other concurrently (and knock each other out simultaneously). It's much to adjust to at first. Even after playing for nearly 30 hours, I still feel like there's much to master in terms of using my Pokémon's moves in methods that work together synergistically. Placement also plays a significant part in battles since your creatures will follow you around or move to designated spots to execute moves (certain ones are distant, whereas others need to be in close proximity).

The live combat causes fights progress so quickly that I find myself sometimes cycling of attacks in the same order, despite this results in a suboptimal strategy. There's no time to pause in Z-A, and numerous chances to get overwhelmed. Creature fights rely on response after using an attack, and that data is still present on the display within Z-A, but flashes past quickly. Sometimes, you can't even read it since diverting attention from your adversary will result in immediate defeat.

Exploring Lumiose Metropolis

Away from combat, you will traverse Lumiose Metropolis. It's fairly compact, although densely packed. Deep into the game, I continue to find new shops and elevated areas to explore. It is also full of charm, and perfectly captures the concept of Pokémon and people living together. Pidgey populate its sidewalks, flying away as you approach similar to actual pigeons obstructing my path while strolling in New York City. The Pan Trio monkeys gleefully hang from lampposts, and bug-Pokémon such as Kakuna cling on branches.

An emphasis on city living represents a fresh approach for Pokémon, and a welcome one. Nonetheless, navigating the city becomes rote eventually. You might discover an alley you never visited, but you wouldn't know it. The architecture is devoid of personality, and most rooftops and underground routes offer little variety. Although I never visited Paris, the inspiration for Lumiose, I reside in New York for nearly a decade. It's a metropolis where no two blocks are the same, and they're all vibrant with differences that provide character. Lumiose Metropolis lacks that quality. It has beige structures with blue or red roofs and flatly rendered balconies.

Where The Metropolis Truly Shines

Where Lumiose City truly stands out, surprisingly, is indoors. I adored how Pokémon battles in Sword & Shield take place in football-like stadiums, giving them real weight and importance. Conversely, battles in Scarlet & Violet happen in a field with two random people watching. It's very disappointing. Z-A strikes a middle ground between the two. You will fight in eateries with diners observing as they dine. An elite combat club will extend an invitation to a tournament, and you will combat on its penthouse court under a lighting fixture (not Chandelure) suspended overhead. My favorite location is the beautifully designed headquarters of a certain faction with atmospheric illumination and purple partitions. Various individual battle locales brim with character that's absent from the overall metropolis as a whole.

The Comfort of Routine

During the Royale, as well as subduing wild Mega Evolved Pokémon and filling the Pokédex, there is an unavoidable feeling of, {"I